Cap-exploding projectile



Nov. 14, 1967 s. MARCUS CAP-EXPLODING PRQJECTILE Filed Oct. 13, 1965 FIG.

FIG. 5

Arm/aways United States Patent Ofiice 3,352,056 Patented Nov. 14, 1967 3,352,056 CAP-EXPLODING PROJECTILE Solomon Marcus, Union, N.J., assignor to De Luxe Reading Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Oct. 13, 1965, Ser. No. 495,488 8 Claims. ((31. 46-200) This invention relates generally to toys, and has particular reference to projectiles.

It is the general object of the invention to provide an improved cap-exploding projectile, of the type which is adapted to receive an explosive-containing paper cap and cause it to be exploded when the projectile hits a hard surface. A projectile of this kind can be expelled from a toy gun or pistol (for example, by spring pressure), or it can be propelled by hand. The present invention is primarily directed to a projectile of unusually small length and size, adapted to be driven by spring pressure from the muzzle of a miniature pistol,

An objective of the invention is to provide an improved assembly of parts which makes it possible to construct the projectile and the cap-exploding parts of it in much smaller sizes than have been feasible heretofore.

Another object of the invention is to provide a projectile which may be manufactured at low cost, and which is extremely simple in its structural mature.

Another objective is to provide a projectile in which the operative parts are separate inexpensive elements, and are of such shapes and contours that although they may be readily assembled and disassembled for purposes of inserting caps, they will remain reliably assembled during the period of each explosion.

Briefly stated, the improved structure involves a weighty metallic head at the front end of a projectile shaft, the head being provided with a cylindrical side surface, and a front surface which defines an anvil, a removable bonnet adapted to fit on the head and remain there frictionally, and a hammer element associated with the bonnet in such a way that when a forwardly projecting stem on the hammer encounters a hard surface the hammer will be forcefully moved against the anvil, thus exploding a cap interposed between them. It is a feature of the invention to provide the bonnet with a skirt that frictionally grips the side surface of the metallic head, and is composed of a tough, resilient, yieldable elastomer adapted to distort outwardly momentarily at the time of the explosion of the cap to allow escape of gases without injury to the bonnet or separation of it from the head.

Preferably, the entire bonnet is composed of a single molded element of tough elastically yieldable plastic.

Several ways of achieving the foregoing objects, and such other objectives and advantages as may hereinafter be pointed out, are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which FIGURE 1 is an exploded view of a projectile embodying the features of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-section of the assembly, with a cap in place, in readiness for explosion;

FIGURE 3 is an exaggerated similar view at the time of explosion;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-section along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is an end view of a bonnet of slightly modified design; and

FIGURE 6 is a cross-section along the line 66 of FIGURE 5.

The projectile shown consists, in part, of a shaft 10 and an enlarged cylindrical head 11 at its front end. The shaft 10 may be formed of any suitable light-weight plastic and may embody whatever contours are necessary or desirable. The shaft shown has a forwardly directed shoulder 12 at its rear end for cooperation with a spring-actuated releasable gripper in the barrel of a toy pistol (not shown).

The head 11 is relatively weighty and may advantageously be composed of metal. It has a cylindrical side surface and a flat front surface 19 defining an anvil.

Fitting snugly over the head 11 is a separable cupshaped bonnet 13 preferably composed in its entirely of a tough elastically yieldable plastic material such as polyethylene, rubber, vinyl, or the like. The bonnet comprises a circular base 14 with a center opening 15, and a skirt 16 extending rearward from the base and of a size to fit frictionally on the side surface of the head 11. By way of example, to indicate the general nature of the device and its miniature size, the diameter of the head 11 may be of the order of 0.35 inch, and the bonnet may have a wall thickness of about 0.057 inch.

Mounted within the bonnet 13 is a hammer, preferably of metal, having a flat circular part 17 adapted to rest on the base 14, and a stem 18 extending forwardly and freely but of the bonnet through the center opening 15. The surface of the hammer which faces the anvil 19 is preferably roughened, or knurled, as indicated. The part 17 is smaller in diameter than the bonnet base upon Which it rests, for a reason presently to be set forth.

The cap to be exploded (indicated at 20 in FIGS. 2 and 3) is laid between the anvil 19 and the hammer part 17.

When the projectile is directed against a surface with which the stem 18 makes impact, the hammer is moved forcefully rearward against the anvil, thus causing the cap to explode. The bonnet 13 stays in place, however, and remains intact and uninjured, for a number of reasons. First, the gases formed by the explosion escape forwardly through off-center openings 21 in the base 14 as indicated by arrows 22 in FIG. 3. The reduced diameter of part 17 allows this to occur. Secondly, the skirt d6 distorts outwardly momentarily, as shown on an exaggerated scale in FIG. 3, allowing the gases to escape rearwardly as indicated by arrows 23, Thirdly, the internal cross-sectional shape of the bonnet skirt 16 is preferably not accurately circular so that longitudinal rifts are provided to facilitate the flow of gases through the space between the head 11 and the surrounding skirt 16.

One type of non-circular cross-section of the skirt 16 is shown in FIG. 4. The wall thickness is enlarged at circumferentially spaced intervals, forming flats 24. The diameter of the head 11 is such that it engages frictionally with these flats, thus defining longitudinal rifts 25 extending from the explosion chamber to the rear end of the skirt 16.

Another type of non-circular contour is shown in FIGS.

, 5 and 6. The wall thickness of the skirt 26 is in this case varied, at intervals, to define internal longitudinally extending ribs 27. These ribs are analogous to the flats 24 but of considerably less area. They establish a frictional fit with the anvil head on which the bonnet is to be mounted, and define longitudinal rifts 28 between them.

The bonnet depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6 is also provided with a base 29 having a center opening 30 and off-center gas-venting openings 31, as hereinbefore described in connection with the bonnet 13. The skirt 26 may also be slightly tapered, as shown on an exaggerated scale in FIGS. 5 and 6, to facilitate the rearward escape of gases.

Among the advantages of the improved projectile is the ability of the bonnet, hammer, and anvil to remain together, without loss or injury of any part, during and following the explosion period. Because of the extremely small size of the device, any separation of the pieces at the time of an explosion would be likely to create a loss of one or another of them, and the usefulness of the toy would thus be quickly brought to an end. Moreover, the

toughness and elasticity of the bonnet skirt prevents cracking or injury, and any momentary distortion due to the explosive power of the gases is followed by an immediate restoration of the desired frictional engagement between the bonnet and the anvil head: This capability of the assembly to'rernain intact and unimpaired is coupled with a readiness of the bonnet to be deliberately removed and replaced whenever a fresh cap is to be inserted. Withal, the'parts are structurally simple and easy to manufacture at low cost.

Obviously, the details herein described and illustrated to explain the nature of the invention may be modified in a number of respects without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims;

Whatis claimed is:

1. In a cap-exploding projectile, a shaft provided with a weighty metallic head at its front end, said head having a cylindrical side surface and a flat front surface defining ananvil, a removable bonnet on said head comprising a circular base with a center openingand a skirt extending rearward for frictional fit on the side surface of the head, a metallic hammer having a flat part on said base and a stem extending out of the bonnet through said center opening, the space between said flat hammer part and said anvil being adapted to' receive a cap which explodes when the impact of said stem' against a hard surface moves the hammer forcefully against the anvil, said bonnet skirt being composed of tough elastically yieldable plastic materlal adapted to grip said head frict ionally and yet distort outwardly momentarily at the time of the explosion to' allow escape of gases without injury to the bonnet or separation of it from the head.

2. A cap-exploding projectile as defined in claim 1, in which said bonnet skirt has an internal cross-section not accurately circular, thereby providing longitudinal rifts to facilitate said escape-of gases.

3. A cap-exploding projectile as defined in claim 2, in which said skirt has a wall thickness that varies at circumferentially spaced intervals to provide said rifts between thickened wall portions.

4. A cap-exploding projectile as defined in claim 3, in which said thickened wall portions have flat inner faces.

5. A cap-exploding projectile as defined in claim 3, in which said thickened wall portions are longitudinally extending ribs on the inner surface.

6. A cap-exploding projectile as defined inclaim I in which said base is provided with off-center openings, and the fiat part of the hammer is of less diameter than the base it rests upon, so that gases can also escape forwardly around said fiat part and through said off-center openings when the cap is exploded.

7. A cap-exploding projectile as defined in claim 6, in which said skirt has an inner surface contoured to" provide longitudinal rifts serving as vents to further facilitate the escape of gases.

8. A cap-exploding projectile as defined in claim 1', in which said bonnet base and skirt are integral parts of a single molding.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,611,999 9/195; Mikolay a 46-200 2,809,624 10/1957 Belcher et al. an- 46-'-200 X LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A CAP-EXPLODING PROJECTILE, A SHAFT PROVIDED WITH A WEIGHTY METALLIC HEAD AT ITS FRONT END, SAID HEAD HAVING A CYLINDRICAL SIDE SURFACE AND A FLAT FRONT SURFACE DEFINING AN ANVIL, A REMOVABLE BONNET ON SAID HEAD COMPRISING A CIRCULAR BASE WITH A CENTER OPENING AND A SKIRT EXTENDING REARWARD FOR FRICTIONAL FIT ON THE SIDE SURFACE OF THE HEAD, A METALLIC HAMMER HAVING A FLAT PART ON SAID BASE AND A STEM EXTENDING OUT OF THE BONNET THROUGH SAID CENTER OPENING, THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID FLAT HAMMER PART AND SAID ANVIL BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A CAP WHICH EXPLODES WHEN THE IMPACT OF SAID STEM AGAINST A HARD SURFACE MOVES THE HAMMER FORCEFULLY AGAINST THE ANVIL, SAID BONNET SKIRT BEING COMPOSED OF TOUGH ELASTICALLY YIELDABLE PLASTIC MA- 